Eastern Conference Playoff Update
Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! We’re a week into the first round and not a single series has disappointed, as we’ve seen humongous hits, gorgeous goals, spectacular saves, and even a few line brawls. This is the first of two articles providing updates on every first round series, breaking down each matchup as it unfolds and highlighting what’s working (and what’s not) for every team hoping to sip from Lord Stanley all summer long. I’ll be releasing a second article focused on the Western Conference in the coming days, but for now let’s dive into all the action in the East!
Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders
CAR Leads Series 3-2
Game 6: Friday 4/28 on Long Island
| Key Stats | Hurricanes | Islanders |
|---|---|---|
| Total Goals | 14 | 14 |
| Power Play | 5/23 (21.7%) | 1/15 (6.6%) |
| Leading Scorer | Brent Burns (2-5-7) | Kyle Palmieri (2-3-5) |
The grit that got the Islanders into the playoffs was on full display last night as they pulled off a rare win in Raleigh to stave off elimination. Pierre Engvall scored his first goal of the postseason to give the Isles the lead halfway through the first period, and Brock Nelson doubled it early in the second by batting the puck out of mid-air after Engval’s shot struck Sebastian Aho in the face (resulting in a scary scene for a Canes squad that’s grown all too familiar with losing offensive weapons to injury). Thankfully for Carolina, Aho returned to the Ice and even scored in the third period to make it 3-2 after Paul Stastney and Mat Barzal traded tallies, but Ilya Sorokin stood tall and extended the series, capping off a 34 save performance with some sterling stops to secure the victory.
This series has played out pretty much like we all expected: tightly contested and low scoring, but it has offered one big surprise. I never expected special teams to be a factor in this matchup, as both teams had struggling power plays and elite penalty kills in the regular season. Boy was I wrong, as the Canes’ man advantage unit exploded out of the gate in game 1, scoring their only 2 goals of the night and proving to be the difference in a 2-1 victory. They’ve clicked at 21.7% through 5 games, which isn’t anywhere close to the top teams in the league, but it’s incredible compared to the Islanders’ putrid 6.6%.
A big reason New York hasn’t produced on the power play is the aggressive pressure Carolina applies on the penalty kill, but another contributing factor is the lack of opportunities they’re getting. The Islanders have been shorthanded 23 times in 5 games, but have only been awarded 15 power plays of their own. This discrepancy was highlighted by an astounding game 2 in which Carolina was awarded 6 power plays and New York didn’t get a single one. Head coach Lane Lambert let the officials hear about it after the game, especially considering the overtime winner was scored right after Scott Mayfield took a stick to the face that went uncalled. Referees are human, and missed penalties are part of the game, but a deficit that large is hard to ignore.
Speaking of missed calls, Rod Brind’Amour was pretty unhappy with the stripes himself after game 2, as he lost yet another top 6 forward to injury after Tuevo Teravainen was ruled out for the season after an uncalled slash broke his hand. His absence made a depleted forward unit even weaker, and opened the door for New York to win 2 of the next 3 games and stay alive in what originally looked to be a short series. Stephan Noeson and Seth Jarvis have filled in admirably, and Brent Burns has been an absolute beast driving offense from the back end, but if Sorokin continues to play the way he has so far, eliminating the islanders will be a tall task.
Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers
BOS Leads Series 3-1
Game 5: Wednesday 4/26 in Boston
| Key Stats | Bruins | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Total Goals | 16 | 11 |
| Power Play | 4/14 (28.6%) | 1/11 (9.1%) |
| Leading Scorer | Dmitry Orlov (1-6-7) | Matthew Tkachuk (2-4-6) |
Most of us expected a sweep here, with the best regular season team in NHL history taking on a squad that barely snuck into the playoffs, but injuries to Patrice Bergeron and David Krecji, along with a brutal illness that swept through the Bruins Dressing room have allowed Florida to earn some respect by outplaying the presidents trophy winners for large parts of the first two games and even emerging victorious in one of them.
Boston seems to have recovered from the plague now, winning both games in Sunrise, and even though Krecji is still listed as day-to-day, Bergeron will be a game time decision in what could very well be the last game of Florida’s short lived Cinderella run.
You’ll definitely want to tune in tonight because even if Florida can’t extend the series, they’re sure to go down swinging. Matthew Tkachuk has been an absolute menace, driving the Panthers offense and trying to beat the wheels off anyone in a black and gold sweater after the whistle. His antics were answered by soon-to-be Vezina winner Linus Ullmark, who dropped the gloves and squared off against the rat king after getting jumped by him following a scrum in the Boston goal crease. Unfortunately, the officials dragged the two away from each other much to the disappointment of everyone in the hockey world.
Two more guys to watch: Taylor Hall is coming off a huge 4 point performance and looking like the guy who won the Hart Trophy all those years ago in New Jersey. Dmitry Orlov is looking like the stead of the trade deadline, leading the Bruins in points while providing rock solid defense in his own end. These guys have really stepped up in the absence of Bergeron and Krecji, providing leadership and offensive firepower to a team that needed to lean on their depth while returning to form.
As a final note, be on the lookout for Florida to announce their starting goalie tonight. Alex Lyon earned the first few games after catching fire down the stretch to save his team’s season, and although he hasn’t been terrible in this series, he has allowed a couple of questionable goals and was eventually pulled in game 3 in favor of veteran Sergei Bobrovsky. Bob got the start in game 4, but ended up getting pumped for 5 goals on 30 shots, so don’t be surprised if they park him and his outrageous $10 million cap hit back on the bench in order to give Lyon one last shot to keep their season alive.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning
TOR Leads Series 3-1
Game 5: Thursday 4/27 in Toronto
| Key Stats | Maple Leafs | Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Total Goals | 19 | 16 |
| Power Play | 6/17 (35.3%) | 5/17 (29.4%) |
| Leading Scorer | Mitch Marner (2-8-10) | Nikita Kucherov (1-5-6) |
I've gotta give this one my vote for most entertaining matchup of the first round. I
This series has had everything: from multi goal comebacks, to downright blowouts, to back-to-back overtime, with a heavy dose of hate woven into it all.
Michael Bunting set the stage for a violent series with his hit to the head of Eric Cernak in game 1, knocking the reliable blueliner out of commission for the foreseeable future and earning himself a 3 game suspension in the process. The Lightning buried the Leafs with 2 power play goals on the ensuing 5 minute major to secure a game 1 win, but Toronto punched back with a blowout of their own in game 1 to tie the series before heading to Tampa.
In the sunshine state, we were treated with two spectacular back and forth affairs, starting last Saturday with arguably the most intense game of the playoffs so far. All the vitriol that had been brewing between these teams finally boiled over when Morgan Reilly crushed Brayden Point into the boards as the two raced for a loose puck, sending the star center down the tunnel wincing in agony and prompting the line brawl of all line brawls. We saw Nikita Kucherov swinging wildly at any leaf within range and ultimately squaring off with Ryan O'reilly, and the first ever fight between former 60 goal scorers as Steven Stamkos jumped an unsuspecting Auston Matthews. The hit was eventually reviewed but officials determined a major penalty was unwarranted, and fortunately for Tampa, Point returned for the 3rd period. Ryan O'reilly proved why the Leafs traded for him at the deadline, scoring late to tie the game at 3 and then assisting on Morgan Reilly's OT winner.
It looked like Tampa would even the series again in game 4, riding a 4-1 lead 9 minutes into the third period, but Austin Matthews had other ideas. He beat Vasilevsky twice within 3 minutes, setting the stage for Morgan Reilly to tie the game late and Alex Kerfoot to bury his first of the playoffs in overtime to give the Leafs a 5-4 win and a 3-1 stranglehold in the series.
As we shift back to Toronto, it looks as if the Leafs are primed to finally exercise their first round demons. They appear deeper than Tampa both up front and on the blue line, and their power play has been incredible. They're also getting Bunting back, but I wouldn't bury the Lightning just yet. Their top line has more playoff experience than Toronto’s entire roster combined, and they still have the best goalie in the world (even though the Leafs have made him look human at times). Let's also look back at the last time Toronto held a 3-1 lead in a playoff series: two years ago they looked like a lock to finally make it out of the first round, leading the upstart Montreal Canadiens 3 games to 1. Montreal stormed back to tie the series, and Toronto blew an early lead in game 7 to shit the bed once again. This Tampa team is better than those Canadiens, and I still think they've got some fight left in them.
New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers
Series Tied 2-2
Game 5: Thursday 4/27 in New Jersey
| Key Stats | Devils | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Total Goals | 7 | 12 |
| Power Play | 2/13 (15.4%) | 4/18 (22.2%) |
| Leading Scorer | Hughes, Hamilton, Bratt (Tied with 3pts) | Kreider, Kane, Fox (Tied with 6pts) |
While Toronto vs Tampa wins the intensity award, this series has been my favorite based on the chess match of coaching adjustments and the emotional momentum swings. I've been wondering all year how New Jersey would fare in the postseason when teams focused on shutting down the lethal rush offense they’ve leaned on since the first puck drop in October, and the Rangers answered that question by opening the series with identical 5-1 road wins.
They dominated the Devils with a tight neutral zone structure, relentless efforts to block shots, and a willingness to make simple plays when the fancy ones weren’t available, chipping pucks out of danger to avoid the turnovers that feed New Jersey’s transition game and earning them back by winning races and puck battles. The Devils soon fell victim to their own trap, succumbing to frustration and trying to force the puck through nonexistent lanes which resulted in turnover that New York pounced on and efficiently pumped past a helpless Vitek Vanecek.
The Rangers special teams complimented their even strength success, killing off all but one of the New Jersey’s 8 power plays in the first two games and capitalizing on their own opportunities with the man advantage. Their star studded power play exposed Ryan Graves’ inability to keep track of Chris Kreider (hint: he’s ALWAYS right in front of the net) resulting in 4 power play goals that the well rounded power forward tipped past Vitek Vanecek on identical plays.
While most people picked this series to go 7 games, it looked like it could end in 4 with the Rangers bringing a 2-0 lead home to Madison Square Garden, but Devils head coach Lindy Ruff made some key adjustments to spark his shaky young squad. The most obvious one was in net, mercifully sparing Vanecek another bludgeoning by inserting budding rookie Akira Schmid between the pipes for game 4. The move paid off and Schmid was sensational, standing on his head to save 35 of New York’s 36 shots until Dougie Hamilton was able to bury a beautiful wrister in Overtime.
Aside from Schmid’s excellence, the Devils were able to win by settling things down and matching New York’s Patience. They were more selective with their opportunities, chipping pucks past defenders and going to work on the cycle to wear down the Rangers rather than haphazardly firing pucks through the middle of the ice. Games 3 and 4 were much more evenly matched and really could have gone either way, but New Jersey got a few pucks to bounce their way and leaned heavily on their young stud in net to squeeze out 2 wins on the road and really make this a series. I can’t wait to see how Gerard Gallant and his star studded Blue Shirts respond in game 5.
